Osborne Homestead Celebrates Centennial Wedding Anniversary

DERBY- In honor of the 100th wedding anniversary of Frances Eliza Osborne and Waldo Kellogg, the Osborne Homestead Museum will have a special exhibition of wedding pictures taken at the Kellogg Estate gardens and Osbornedale State Park.

Its gardens and grounds have in the past and continue to provide an ideal and affordable destination for wedding photography. For the entire month of October, visit the museum and view wedding photos from the 1970s to the present day. 

Frances Eliza Osborne and Waldo Stewart Kellogg married October 21, 1919 at the Methodist Episcopal Church in Derby.  As Frances wrote to her mother, their love was as strong as “Romeo & Juliette or any of the storybook lovers,” and their marriage was one of equal partnership.  Frances was already a successful business woman and community leader when she met Waldo, an architect who supervised the design of the Veteran’s Hospital in West Haven.  They ran Osbornedale Farm, at what is now Osbornedale State Park, and contributed to the design of the museum.  

This special wedding exhibition will recognize and honor the couples who have had their wedding photos taken in the state park. About eighteen wedding couples’ photos will be featured in the museum.  You might even see the wedding pictures of your relatives, friends, and neighbors!  Along with their photographs, there will be a display of bridal gloves, wedding accessories, and the Kellogg’s wedding gifts.  Wedding stories and legends will also be featured.  

Get inspired, learn about wedding legends, and celebrate Frances and Waldo’s, other “Kellogg” couples’, and your wedding anniversaries at the Osborne Homestead Museum throughout the month of October.  

The Osborne Homestead Museum, a facility of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, is open for free guided tours on Thursdays and Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sundays from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  It is located at 500 Hawthorne Avenue off of Rte. 34 in Derby.  For additional information email susan.d.robinson@ct.gov or call 203-734-2513. 

(This is a press release from Osborne Homestead Museum)

Visiting Osborne Homestead in Derby is always a treat

Curator Susan Robinson points out hand-made ornaments on a Christmas tree with a literary theme in the library of the Osborne Homestead Museum.

DERBY - I didn't realize how many photos I took Friday while doing a story at the Osborne Homestead Museum. The museum at 500 Hawthorne Ave. is run by the state Department of Energy and Economic Development.

I shared some photos Saturday and thought I'd post a few more today. Each room is decorated so nicely.

A cookie-cutter trimmed tree stands in the kitchen, which was decorated by the Derby Garden Society.

 

A decorative cow made from beeswax hangs in a window in the milk room. The Osborne family ran a dairy farm with prize-winning Holsteins for many years.

This wreath hanging in the studio features a toy submarine to denote the fact the first sub was built in Groton, Ct. Another wreath is adorned with a toy Sikorsky helicopter. Sikorsky in Stratford is the home of the first mass-produced helicopter.  
The studio was decorated to represent 'technology and innovation' in Connecticut.

 A collection of clocks made in Connecticut is on display in the library.

A tree in the living room is decorated with ornaments made with Woodbury Pewter.

Part of the decorations illuminating Frances Osborne Kellogg's childhood bedroom.

One of the bathtubs is filled with Wiffle balls manufactured in Shelton.

Another tub features chocolate candies that were once made in Naugatuck.

 The house always feels so inviting. Take a tour this holiday season and you'll see what I mean!

A peek inside Osborne Homestead in Derby

DERBY - My daughter Allegra and I were fortunate Friday morning to have curator Susan Robinson give us a tour of the beautiful Osborne Homestead Museum.
In a tradition going back more than two decades it was decorated by area garden clubs for the holiday season.
 

Homestead curator/museum educator Susan Robinson shows off the dining room decorated by the Olde Kellogg Garden Society. 

The theme this year is Holiday in Connecticut. The attention to detail is simply stunning! I highly recommend a visit. You won't be disappointed.

The home at 500 Hawthorne Ave. is open for holiday tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday through Dec. 21 and for twilight tours from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 6, 13 and 20.

 

This tree in the solarium was donated by Jones Family Farms in Shelton.

One of the ornaments on the tree in the solarium. I think it's a dragonfly.

Stay tuned for a story in the New Haven Register.

Osborne Homestead always delights

Historic house in Derby decorated for holidays


DERBY - I visited the Osborne Homestead Museum yesterday on the first day of its holiday tour schedule. 
I was the first visitor, without even trying. I always enjoy visiting the house each November to marvel at the creativity of members of area garden clubs who decorate it.

This year's theme is "Holiday in Bloom."
  
Newly named curator Susan Robinson offered lots of information about legends connected to a variety of plants and herbs as she showed me around the house.

A tinsel tree! Remember those? 
 

These lit ceramic trees displayed on the grand piano in the living room caught my eye.
The sign says, "Have you ever made one of these?" 

Coincidentally a woman I met as I was leaving, Cindy Joy of Oxford, told me her husband makes and sells ceramic trees. She said he also sells kits to those who would rather create one themselves.

 

The fireplace and mantel in the living room create a feeling of warmth as well as elegance.   

 

 The Oxford Garden Club decorated the library. This is the fireplace in the library. 
  

 

Ivy was the theme the Pomperaug Valley Garden Club used to adorn the formal dining room. Robinson told me ivy is a tenacious plant, and it "symbolizes youth and exuberance."

 I didn't have my camera with me, but I was able to take a few snapshots off of a video, and I hope I've given you the idea of the classic beauty of this 19th-century home. 

 

Do opposites attract? Santa and the Grinch seem to get along together in a corner of the library.


   
Holiday tours are from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday though Sunday until Dec. 16. Holiday Twilight tours are from 4-6:30 p.m. Friday as well as Dec. 7 and 14.
Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted.
For information, call 203-734-2513.